Green-vegetable cutter



1623089 Apnl 5, 1927. F. w. BURPEE GREEN VEGETABLE cur-ma Filed March 31., 1926 Patented Apr. 5, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK W. BURPEE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO BURPEE CAN SEALER COM- PANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

GREEN-VEGETABLE CUTTER.

Application filed March 31, 1926.

This invention relates to manually operated machines for cutting green vegetables, such as string beans, asparagus, rhubarb, and the like, into short lengths preparatory to cooking or canning operations, the device of the invention being designed mainly for domestic use.

The general object of the invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive, and easily manipulated machine of the character specified, by the use of which green vegetables and the like, in batches suited to the capacity of the machine, may be quickly comminuted. Other more specific objects are to provide a machine easily adapted to cut stock into various desired lengths, to pro vide a machine that may be conveniently mounted and operated upon an ordinary kitchen table; to provide a machine which will cleanly and thoroughly comminute a given batch of stock at each operation thereof; to provide a machine readily permitting the removal and sharpening of the cutter blades; and to provide a machine, the vegetable-engaging parts of which may be easily cleaned after use.

Other objects and attendant advantages of the invention will be apparent to persons skilled inthe art as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which I have illustrated a simple and practical embodiment of the principle of the invention, and wherein Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the machine;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1.;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation broken out between top and bottom; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail on the line 4+4 of Fig. 1 illustrating the manner of connecting the horizontal frame carrying the cutters and pusher bar to the upright supporting frame.

Referring to the drawings, the upright supporting member as herein shown consists of a U-shaped frame comprising a pair of vertical standards 10, an integral lower 0 cross-bar 11, and an upper cross-bar 12 attached to the upper ends of the standards 10 as by means of threaded studs 13 on the upper ends of the standards 10 passed through holes in the cross-bar 12 and nuts 14 on the upper ends of the studs 13. The

Serial No. 98,754.

lower portion of the supporting frame is equipped with a pair of depending clamps 15 by which the machine may be readily mounted on the edge of a table T or other suitable support.

Mounted on the upper end of the uprightsupporting frame is a horizontal rectangular frame comprising forwardly extending side bars 16 and a front cross-bar 17 As shown in Fig. 4, the rear ends of the side bars 16 are formed with threaded studs 18 which pass through hollow bearing bosses 19' on the lower side of the cross-bar 12, and are secured by nuts 19, whereby the horizontal frame is rigidly secured to and held in position by the vertical supporting frame. Suitably attached to and supported on the horizontal frame is a fiat sheet-metal plate 20 formed with integral vertical side walls 21, the plate and side walls forming a hop per or container for the stock to be cut. Extending between the upper forward portions of the side walls 21 and attached to the latter by screws 22 is a. rectangular bar 23. The bottom plate 20 is somewhat Wider than the underlying frame on which it rests and to which it is attached as'by rivets 24 (Fig. 1), and the overhanging portions 20 of said bottom plate are, in the construction shown, extended across the ends of the. front frame bar 17 the bottom plate 20 and its forward extensions 20 being flush with the top surface of the cross-bar 17.

In the front cross-bar 17 are formed a series 'of uniformly spaced obliquely disposed blade sockets 25 slightly wedge-shaped from top to bottom as clearly shown in Fig. 2; and in the under side of the top cross-bar 23 are formed a corresponding series of aligned blade kerfs or sockets 26. Fitted at their lower and upper ends into the sockets 25 and 26 respectively are the obliquely disposed cutter blades 27, the inner or lower edges of which are sharpened to present knife edges.

At the center of the top cross-bar 12 of the supporting frame member is a rearwardly extending bearing boss 28 (Fig. 1), in which is slidably mounted a pusher bar 29 formed on its under side with a rack 30. The bottom plate 20 of the stock receptacle is formed with a central slot 20 (Fig. 1) directly above and parallel with the pusher bar 29; and rigidly attached to the pusher bar as by means of screws 30 passing through the slot 20 is a pusher or follower that operates to force the stock against the cutter blades and, as herein shown, consists of an angle bar section comprising a horizontal 5 baseBl that is fastened as described to the pusher bar 29 and a substantially vertical upstanding plate of approximately the height of the sides 21 of the stock receptacle. By reference to Figs. 1 and 3 it will be observed that the vertical pusher plate 329f the pusher is vertically slotted, as shown at SS in line with the cutter blades i27, so as to permit the pusher to pas en- 'tire'ly through the group of blades 27 and force the severed stock out beyond and clear of the blades.

For operating the pusher l ar and pusher, chm-gig; provided a sour pinion 35L meshing with the rack 30 and fast on 'a shaft 35 that [isjournaled ina pair of bearing bo ses 36 depending from the frame bar 12. On the outer end ofshaft 1s a crank arm 3"? and y handle 38. ()n the rear end of the pusher bar 29 is a stop lug, herein shown as a screw 239 which, through contact with the outer end of'the bearing boss28, limits the for- I ward'movement of the pusher to thedotted lineposition illustrated in Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 2, the upper portion of the pusher or 30 follower 32 is preferably inclined forwardly, as' indicated at 32,'which in a measure prevents the stock from squeezing upwardly between the pusher and the cutter blades. 'l lic-..operation will be readily apparent 3 from the foregoing structural description. Tl re, p usher,or follower having been fully retracted, the green beans, asparagus, or other vegetable to be comminuted, is filled f intothe receptacle being confined on two 6 sides bythe side Walls 21 and front and rear bythe' cutter blades and the follower. The handle is then turned, rapidly advancing the follower and forcing the stock against and through the series of spaced cutter blades,

byf which latterlit is cleanly cut into substa ntially uniform lengths. The slots in the follower enable the latter to pass be- ,tween the cutter blades and thus push the' severed stock entirely clear and free from so the latter, said stock falling over the front edge of the machine into any suitable un- Q derlying. receptacle. The downward and .t f orward inclinations of the cutter blades is pa ticularly ,advantageons for several reasons. In the first placefit checks any tendency of the compressed stock to bulge upwardly and overflow the top plate holder bar 23. In the second place, it aiiords an M oblique or shear cut on the stock; and in the third place, it prevents anytendency toward ,displ a cementof theblades from their sockets, since the pressure ofthe stock on the blades tends to force the latter more tightly into their lower sockets. The described means and manner ofmounting the blades facilitates their ready removal, since each blade may be grasped by the thumb and finger, and drawn rearwardly and upwardly out of its lower holding socket. This enables the blades to be readily washed after use to maintain them clean and free from rust. Also, by merely removing the nuts 19, the portion of the machine that ii directly engaged with the stock can be removed from its supporting frame for cleansing. As stated, the appliance finds its chief ,utility as anaidto domestic canning operations to eii'ect the cutting of the stock into suitable sizes for canning. if longer sizes are desired, this can be secured by sin'iply removing'every other cutter blade; andrclatively short and long lengths may be obtained by the same p ration by removing several adjacent blades at one side of the machine and retaining the ren'iaining blades on the other side. i

l have herein discloed one simple and practical embodinmitof the principle of the invention which in practice has been found to satisfactorily effectuate the stated purposes and, objects thereof. Manifestly, how ever, various changes in details of structure and arrangement aiul forins of the parts may be rccorted to without departing from the principle of the invention or sacrificing any of its utilities and advantages. Hence, I reserve such variations and n'rodifications as fall within the spirit and purview ,of the appended claims.

I claim 1. In a machine for comminuting vegetables, the combination of a support, a stock receptacle mounted on said support formed with side walls and an open front end, a group of downwardly and forwardly 1nclined spaced cutter blades mounted. across the open front endof said receptacle, a pusher, and means for reciprocatingsaid ,pusher through said receptacle.

2. In a machine for c0mminutingyegetables, the combination of a support, a stock receptacle mounted on said support formed with side walls and anopen front end, a group of downwardly. and forwardly inclined spaced fiat cutter bladesdisposed in vertical planes mounted across the open front end of said receptacle, a pusher plate disposed in and transversely .of said receptacle and formed with slots registering with said cutter blades, and n' ean s for reciprocating said pusher plate through said receptacle and beyond said cutterblades.

3. Ina machine of the character described, cutting mechanisnu including in combination a stock receptacle having upper and lower cross-bars, said cross-b ars formed with aligned blade sockets, cutter blades removably mounted at their ends in the sockets of said cross-bars, and means for forcing stock against saidblades.

4. In a machine of the character described, cutting mechanism, including in combination a stock receptacle having an upper cross-bar formed with blade sockets in its under side and a lower cross-bar having blade sockets in its upper side, cutter blades removably mounted at their ends in the sockets of said cross-bars, and means for forcing stock against said blades.

5. In a machine of the character described, cutting mechanism including in combination a stock receptacle having a lower cross-bar formed with blade sockets in its upper side and an upper cross-bar parallel with and rearwardly offset from said lower cross-bar formed with blade sockets in its under side, forwardly and downwardly inclined cutter blades removably mounted at their ends in the sockets of said cross-bars, and means for forcing stock against said blades.

6. In a machine for comminuting vegetables, the combination of an upright supporting frame, a horizontal frame mounted on the upper end of said supporting frame, a stock container mounted on said horizontal frame formed with an open front end, stationary spaced cutter blades disposed across said front end, a pusher bar slidably mounted in said supporting frame, a pusher plate attached to said pusher bar and ex tending transversely of said receptacle, and manually operable means for reciprocating said pusher bar.

7. In a machine for comminuting vegetables, the combination of an upright supporting frame, a horizontal frame mounted on the upper end of said supporting frame, a stock container mounted on said horizontal frame formed with side walls and an open front end, stationary spaced cutter blades disposed in vertical planes across said front end, a pusher bar slidably mounted in said supporting frame, a rack onv the under side of said pusher bar, a pusher plate attached to said pusher bar and extending between the side walls of said container, a shaft journaled in said supporting frame, apinion on said shaft engaged with said rack bar, and an operating handle on said shaft.

8. In a machine for comminuting vegetables, the combination of an upright supporting frame, a horizontal frame mounted on the upper end of said supporting frame, a stock container formed with a flat bottom wall secured on said horizontal frame, side walls, and an open front end, downwardly and forwardly inclined stationary spaced cutter blades disposed in vertical planes across said front end, a pusher bar slidably mounted in said supporting frame, a rack on the under side of said pusher bar, a pusher plate vertically slotted to register with said blades attached to said pusher bar and extending between the side walls of said container, a shaft journaled in said supporting frame, a pinion on said shaft engaged with said rack bar, and an operating handle on said shaft.

7 FRANK IV. BURPEE. 

